Juraj Kovalčík, Magdaléna Švecová, Michal Kabát

ABSTRACT:
Team cohesion, teamwork and team building are important constructs regarding teams and their performance in various organizations and environments. In this review, we sum- marize the current state of research on the influence of digital games on team cohesion and related constructs. We found a total of 7 studies that fit the criteria, resulting in 18 outcomes. Among the 18 outcomes that improved throughout the intervention, 15 reported significant improvement from the intervention and 3 reported no significant differences. Specifically, team communication, task delegation, atmosphere, trust, team flow, team performance and goal commitment were the most improved sub-constructs by team building video gaming interventions. The majority (n = 9) of those with significant improvements post-test were from randomly controlled trials (RCTs) with single or two control groups. Overall, we found that team video gaming may be effective in supporting team cohesion or team building; however, to enhance the understanding of the relationship between digital games and team cooperation, it is recommended to extend or vary gameplay intervention times, prioritize diverse outcome measures, address re- porting biases, conduct follow-up assessments, include diverse populations and report demographics, and recognize the specific effects of different game features on outcomes.

KEY WORDS:
digital games, review, team building, team cohesion, team performance, teamwork.

DOI:
10.34135/actaludologica.2023-6-1.46-65

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